Safety exhaust system for internalcombustion engines



llg- 24, 1954 B. H. VAN vAc'roR SAFETY EXHAUST SYSTEM FORINTERNAL--COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed March 19, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l m w,SSR xsSh @.w m W v m m y, H. m N l w s unimi j m .Il lll! m\\ R. 5,5m 4

IIIIIIIII'I Aug. 24, 1954 B. H. VAN vAcToR SAFETY EXHAUST SYSTEM FORINTERNAE-C0MBUSTI0N ENGNEs Filed March 19, 195s 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mw mmy. M d N@ y B 7 `N NN. l ws NN Q .f

dwz@ afa-f Patented Aug. 2 4, 1954 SAFETY EXHAUST SYSTEM FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES Benjamin H. Van Vactor, Beckley, W. Va., as-

signor to National Mine Service Company, a corporation of West VirginiaApplication March 19, 1953, Serial No. 343,378

The present invention relates to a safety system for use in connectionwith the exhaust of diesel or other internal combustion engines.

The invention is particularly useful for diesel engines when used inmines and similar confined locations Where the exhaust must be treatedin a special exhaust conditioner before it can be safely discharged intothe conned space. The system of the present invention is so arrangedthat the engine cannot be operated unless the exhaust gas conditioner isin satisfactory operating condition.

A particular feature of the invention is an arrangement of means wherebythe engine cannot be started unless the exhaust gas conditioner is in lproper operating condition.

Another object of the invention is toprovide a. system in which theoperation of the engine is automatically stopped at any time the exhaustgas conditioner is not in proper operating condition.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeclear as the descriptio proceeds. i

i In the drawings:

Fig.` 1 is adiagram illustrating the safety exhaust system.

Fig. 2 is a cross section through the relief valve used in the system.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an alternate arrangement for watersupply.

Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating another form of water supply.

numeral I indicates an exhaust gas conditioner. Since the details ofthis conditioner form no part of the present invention, they will not beexplained fully in the present application. This exhaust gas conditionerreceives the exhaust gas from the diesel engine, cools it to 160 F. orless, removes noxious odors and deleterious substances that may becontained in the gas, and eliminates 12 Claims. (Cl. Gil-30) 2 missionof water to the exhaust gas conditioner and maintains a normal waterlevel at the line indicated by numeral I i A safe water leve1 isindicated at 26, and whenever the Water drops below this level thesafety system prevents operation of the engine.

The relief valve I6 is of the type illustrated in detail in Fig. 2. Asillustrated, this valve includes an inlet port I9, an outlet port 20,and a Icy-pass port 2l. The by-pass Dort is normally closed by apoppet-type valve 22, which has a head 23, and is held in closedposition against its seal by a spring 24.

When this type of valve is used at l5, the spring is set so that thevalve opens when a pressure of 12 lbs. per square inch or greater isapplied to the under-side of the head 23. The result is that when thewater leve1 falls below the northe possibility of sparks issuing fromthe exhaust conditioner. The exhaust gas conditioner performs thesefunctions While maintaining all eX- terior surfaces at atemperature ofbelow 400 F.

In order to perform the above functions in the exhaust gas conditioner,it is essential to main- M v tain a certain Water level in the sump ofthe gas conditioner. A device o-f this general type in which a level ofwater must be maintained for proper operation is illustrated in expiredU. S.

Patent No. 733,217. In the form of Fig. 1 of the I,

which pumps Water from the water supply tank I3 `through relief valveI6, to the exhaust gas conditioner.

A float valve I8 regulates the admal level indicated at line I I', thefloat valve I0 is open, and Water passes directly through valve It, frominlet I9 to outlet `20, and thence to the exhaust gas conditioner.However, when the water reaches level II and float valve It closes,pressure builds up in the line Il leading to valve I8, and when thispressure exceeds 12 lhs. per square inch, the relief valve I6 opens andthe water goes through Icy-pass po-rt 2l directly back M to the watersupply tank I3, through line 25.

The parts yincluding the pump I2, relief valve I5 and float Valve I8constitute automatic means to maintain a safe level of water in theexhaust gas conditioner. While it is presently preferred l to use waterin the exhaust gas conditioner, it Referring to the drawings in greaterdetail, the

should be understood that any other suitable liquid may be used.

Equivalent means may be utilized to provide the automatic means formaintaining the water level in the exhaust gas conditioner. in someinstallations it may be preferable to use a supply tank 52 located abovethe exhaust gas conditioner, as shown inFig. 3. In this case the Wateris fed to the gas conditioner through gravity line 53. Or, as shown inFig. ll, a pressure line 54 connected to a conventional Water system maydeliver Water direct to the valve I8.

As previously explained, the exhaust gas conditioner I0 is so built thatit cannot operate correctly to cool and condition the exhaust gases soas to'make them safe for exhausting them into a mine or other confinedarea, unless the water level is at or above the safe level 26. The partof the system now to be described provides means which present startingthe engine unless the Water level is at the minimum safe Water level.The system also includes means that will automatically stop operation ofthe engine when the water level drops below the safe water leve1.

The control lever 21 may be connected to either the air or fuel supplyto the engine, whichever is the most effective method of preventingoperation of the particular engine. Since both air and fuel areessential to engine operation, either of these fluids may be referred toas an essential fluid. In the case of a two-cycle diesel engine, thislever would preferably control the air supply, since this type of engineis usually shut down in this manner, and so long as the air-intake valveis closed the engine will not start, nor will it receive enough air tofire on any of its cylinders. In the case of a four-cycle diesel engineit is preferable to use the control lever 21 to shut off the fuelsupply.

The control lever 21 is operated by a pressurecontrolled actuatorindicated generally at 2B, which includes an actuator rod 29 connectedat one end to lever 21 and at the other end to a piston 3G. Springs 3|and 32 normally bias the piston 30 toward the left as shown in Fig. 1,and the piston 3|) is moved toward the right by pressure from line 5 Itwill be clear that the springs normally bias the control lever to oirposition, in which the engine is stopped and cannot be started.

The pressure-controlled actuator may be moved by some device such as apressure bellows in place of the piston 3D.

In order to move the lever to the on position and permit starting theengine, it is necessary to supply liquid pressure to the piston 3|).This is done as follows: A liquid line 45 is connected to the sump ofthe'exhaust gas conditioner at the safe water level 25. If water is atthis lever or higher, it may be drawn into liquid lines 45 and 46 byhand pump 41, and thence forced through liquid lines 48, 49, 5|) and 5|,to the control-lever actuator 28.

When the operator wishes to start the engine, he operates the hand pump41. If the water in the exhaust gas conditioner is below the safe waterlevel 25 no water is sucked into the liquid line 45, and hence nopressure is supplied to the control-lever actuator 28, and the enginecannot be started. But if water is at or above the safe level 2li, wateris pumped through lines 45 and 43 to the hand pump 41, and thencethrough lines 48, 49, 50, and 5|, to the piston 3G, and the pressure,after it reaches a pressure between 8 and 10 lbs. as indicated by thepressure gage 33, moves the control-lever 21 vagainst the pressure ofsprings 3| and 32 to the on position. The operator maintains thispressure with the hand-operated pump 41 until the engine is started..

The hand pump 41, piston 30, and connecting hydraulic lines constitutemanually controlled means for moving the control-lever to on position.

When the engine starts running, it operates safety pressure pump 34,which is driven by the engine. Pump 34 pumps Water from the line 45through the line 35 and relief valve 36 to line 49, thereby taking overfrom hand pump 41 .the chore of maintaining behind the piston 30pressure that holds the control-lever in the on position. If, at anytime, the water in the exhaust gas conditioner drops below the safewater level 25, water is no longer supplied under pressure by pump 34 tothe piston 30, and the control-lever is immediately moved to the oiposition by the springs. This arrangement insures that the engine willstop operating whenever the water level in the exhaust gas conditionerdrops below the safe operating level.

The engine-operated pump 34, piston 30, and connecting hydraulic linesconstitute enginevcontrolled means for moving the control-lever to onposition.

It will be understood that hand-operated pump 41, which is illustratedas being a plunger pump, must be so constructed that when it is notbeing operated it serves as a check valve to prevent backward ilow fromline 48 to line 43, thus permitting the engine-operated pump 34 to buildup pressure in line 49.

The engine-operated pump 34, which is illustrated as being a rotarypump, must be so constructed that when it is not operating it blocksbackward now from line 35 to line 45, or it must be supplemented by acheck valve to achieve this purpose. This construction permits thehand-operated pump 41 to build up pressure in line '49.

The exhaust gases from the engine are discharged through thewater-cooled exhaust manifold 31 to the lower part of the exhaust gasconditioner, and after being properly conditioned', are vpermitted toescape through the vexhaust outlet 3S. A cooling ring 39 provides radialwater jets which spray and cool the exhaust gases passing through ring33, and supply line 40 carries water from the relief valve 35 to thecooling ring 39. The injection of this water through the cooling ring 33helps to maintain the exterior surfaces of the exhaust system at Yalltimes well below the maximum allowable temperature of 400 F.

The pressure relief valve 36 is of the type illustrated in Fig. 2, andthe actuating spring 24 is set so as to permit the valve to open thebypass port when the pressure in line 35 reaches 12 lbs. per squareinch. At top speed of the engine, due to the increased output of thepump and the resultant increased frictional resistance through the jetsof the cooling ring 33, the pressure may rise to 30 or 35 lbs. persquare inch in the line 43. In other words, the valve 36 serves to makecertain that a minimum of l2 lbs. per square inch of water pressure ismaintained against the pressure bellows 32 as long as the safe waterlevel exists in the gas conditioner.

To provide for stopping the engine manually,

a manual stop valve 4| is connected on one side to the liquid line 50,and on the other side is connected by a liquid line 42 to the upper partof the exhaust gas conditioner. The operating lever 43 of the valve 4|is connected in any suitable manner to a fuel shut-on handle located onthe instrument panel of the engine. When the fuel shut-off handle ispulled, the quickopening stop valve 4| releases the liquid pressurebehind piston 33, and permits this pressure to be relieved directly intothe upper part of the exhaust gas conditioner. The release of pressurepermits the springs 3| and 32 to move the control-lever 21 to the offposition, thereby stopping the engine.

The relief valve 33 is provided with means to prevent the possibility ofwater pressure being trapped in the control-lever actuator 2S. This isdone by providing a slot 44 milled into the under side of head 23 sothat water may slowly leak past the valve head into the by-pass port.

In the event the water in the exhaust gas conditioner is below the safelevel 2S, pumps 34 and 41 could pump airQ The slot 44 is of such a sizethat it will bleed off through line 40 to the cooling jets in ring 33the combined air output of these pumps, so that air pressure cannot bebuilt up to cause the actuator 28 to move the control-lever to the onposition.

It will be clear from the above that present invention provides afoolproof safety system for a diesel or` other internal combustionengine operated in confined quarters, such as in a mine, since thesystem permits the engine to operate only if the exhaust gas conditioneris in proper operating condition.

According to the provisions of the patent statutes, I have explained theprinciple of my invention and have illustrated and described what I nowconsider to represent its best embodiment. However, I desire to have itunderstood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the inventionmay be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated anddescribed.

claim:

1. In an exhaust system for internal combustion engines, of the typehaving an exhaust gas conditioner in which a certain safe level ofliquid must be maintained for proper operation of the exhaust gasconditioner, the improvement which comprises: a control device whichcontrols the supply of an essential fluid to the engine; meansconstantly biasing the control device toward olf position;manually-controlled means for moving the control device to on position;and enginecontrolled means for holding the control device in onposition, the manually-controlled means and the engine-controlled meansbeing effective only if the liquid in the exhaust gas conditioner is ator above the safe level.

2. An exhaust system of the type specied in claim 1 in which themanually-controlled means includes a hand-operated pump and theenginecontrolled means includes an engine-operated DllID- 3. An exhaustsystem of the type specified in claim 1 which includes automatic meansto maintain a safe level of iluid in the exhaust gas conditioner.

4. In combination with an internal combustion engine, an exhaust systemof the type having an exhaust gas conditioner in which a safe level ofliquid must be maintainedfor proper operation of the exhaust gasconditioner, the improvement which comprises: a control-lever whichcontrols the supply of an essential fluid to the engine; meansconstantly biasing the control lever toward off position;pressure-operated means for moving the control-lever toward on position;manually-controlled means for supplying pressure to thepressure-operated means to permit starting of the engine; andengine-controlled means for supplying pressure to the pressureoperatedmeans to permit the engine to continue operating; themanually-controlled means and the engine-controlled means beingeffective only if the liquid in the exhaust gas conditioner is at orabove the same level.

5. `An exhaust system of the type specified in claim 4 in which themanually-controlled means includes a hand-operated pump and theenginecontrollod means includes an engine-operated pump.

6. An exhaust system of the type specified in claim 4 in which a manualstop valve is connected to the pressure-operated means, wherebyoperation of the stop valve stops the motor.

7. An exhaust system of the type specified in claim 4 which includesautomatic means to maintain a safe level of liquid in the exhaust gasconditioner.

8. In combination with in internal combustion engine an exhaust systemincluding an exhaust gas conditioner having a sump in which a certainsafe level of liquid must be maintained for proper operation of theexhaust gas conditioner, the improvement which comprises: a`control-lever which controls the supply of an essential fluid to theengine; a spring constantly 'biasing the control lever toward offposition; a pressureoperated device for moving the control lever towardon position; a liquid line leading from the sump at the safe liquidlevel and connected to the pressure-operated device; an engine-operatedpump located in the liquid line for supplying liquid pressure to thepressure-operated device during the time when the engine is running.;and a hand-operated pump connected to the liquid line and by-passing theengine-operated pump, the hand-operated pump supplying liquid pressureto the pressure-operated device during the time when the engine is beingstarted.

9. An exhaust system of the type specified in claim 8 in which a manualstop valve is connected to said` liquid line, opening the stop valveserving to relieve pressure in the liquid line thereby stopping theengine.

l0. An exhaust system of the type specified in claim 8 which includesmeans for automatically mainatining a safe level of liquid in theexhaust gas conditioner.

11. In combination with an internal combustion engine, an exhaust systemincluding an exhaust gas conditioner, an exhaust manifold for conductingexhaust gases from the engine to the exhaust gas conditioner, theexhaust gas conditioner having a sump in which a certain safe level ofWater must be maintained for proper operation of the exhaust gasconditioner, the improvement which comprises: a control-lever whichcontrols supply of an essential vfluid to the eng-ine; means constantlybiasing the control-lever toward off position; pressure-operated meansfor moving the lever toward on position; a liquid. line leading from thesump at the safe water level and connected to the pressure-operatedmeans; an engine-operated pump located in said liquid line for supplyingliquid pressureto the pressureoperated means during the time when theengine is running; a cooling ring located in the exhaust line forspraying water into the exhaust line; a relief valve located in saidliquid line between the engine-operated pump and the 4pressure-operatedmeans; a liquid line for carrying water from the relief valve to thecooling ring, the relief valve being so set as to permit water to llowto the cooling ring after a proper operating pressure has been built upin the line leading to the pressure-operated means; and a hand-operatedpump for supplying liquid pressure to the pressure-operated means duringthe time when the engine is being started, the being located in a linewhich by-passes the engine-operated pump and the relief valve.

l2. An exhaust system of the type specified in claim 11 in which amanual stop valve is connected to said liquid line, opening of the stopvalve serving to relieve .pressure in the fluid line thereby stoppingthe engine.

References Cited in the fue rof this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,847,506 White Mar, 1, 1932 1,920,694 Hancock Aug. 1, 19331,932,704 McQuiston Oct. 31, 1933 2,314,900 Samiran Mar. 30, 1943hand-operated pump

